Skill Training

HMPs are not there just for show or sociability. Each species has a job skill that can help your human Sims enrich their lives and help out the family. Most pets do not come with the skills already learned, so it’s up to your human Sims to get them started. Horse training is complicated enough that it gets its own section; the process for dogs and cats is much simpler.

Cats and dogs both have a hunting skill that, like a standard job skill, can go to level 10. To start, you need to interact with your pet, then select “Train To Hunt.” The animal will sit there and react as you help it practice. As soon as it’s at level 1 hunting, it can hunt on its own, thereby gaining additional hunting experience. However, you can always keep doing manual training this way. Pets with the Genius trait will learn faster regardless of training method.

Dogs hunt for rocks and gems (the colored stones you can see if your Sim has the Collection Helper), while cats hunt for LMPs. They can bring their targets back with them to the house; dogs’ finds can be added to a Sim’s collection or sold for cash, while cats’ finds can be added to a terrarium or cage to become a permanent LMP. When hunting, your pets tend to find rarer finds that if your humans were looking alone.